News from Montpelier 2019 week 12

The week closed with the farewell ritual for the second group of Pages. The Speaker reminded the House that this means the Session is heading in to the home stretch. H. 102, an act relating to paid family and medical leave passed the House on a vote of 92 yeas to 52 nays. Floor debate on Thursday and Friday addressed amendments that adjusted portions of the bill. Rep. Browning’s amendment which allowed for an individual to opt out of the plan also was determined by a Roll Call vote but failed 55 yeas to 87 nays. Other Floor action this week included not concurring in the Senate proposal of amendment for H. 39, an act relating to the extension of the deadline of school district mergers required by the State Board of Education and requesting a Committee of Conference be appointed.
Tuesday afternoon the Transportation committee took testimony on H. 201, an act relating to consumer protections related to involuntary towing and storage of motor vehicles and abandoned motor vehicles. Witnesses from Vermont Legal Aid and the towing industry spoke to some points of the issue. Concerns were raised about an owner’s access to a vehicle and the cost that can be accrued when a vehicle is towed without the owner’s permission. That evening the House Chamber was full of citizens who wished to give testimony to the House Judiciary committee on S. 169, an act relating to firearms procedures. The language of this bill as it came out of the Senate has sections that would step back some of the restrictions imposed by S. 55 of the prior biennium as well as the 24-hour waiting period for the purchase of a handgun and in that sense provides concessions to both sides of this volatile debate.
The House Transportation committee received official possession of S. 149 and continued to take testimony on sections of it. Witnesses spoke to sections that address the translation of DMV written forms, applications, or tests used for operator licensing into the primary language of the nations that individuals have come to Vermont from in the last ten years. Currently the manual is available in Spanish as well as English and the written knowledge test is available in five other languages. The Committee also received testimony on sections that addressed foreign driver’s license reciprocity and automated vehicle testing. The language in the bill provides a strong voice to individual municipalities as to testing AV’s on public roads and witnesses spoke to a preference for a central clearing house for any testing permit.
Please continue to contact me at bmurphy@leg.state.vt.us or 802-849-6545 or through the Sergeant at Arms office.